The case of the dog trainer who loves her dogs, but doesn't feel close to them anymore. 

Please note: This story contains brief mention of suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 9-8-8, or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

Funding for this story was provided by the University of California, Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, as part of its “Spreading Love Through the Media” initiative, supported by the John Templeton Foundation.

From the episode: 

— Jen Blough, LPC — therapist, compassion fatigue educator,  and author of To Save a Starfish: A Compassion Fatigue Workbook for the Animal Welfare Warrior — learn about her compassion fatigue certification program and more: www.animalwelfarewellness.com

Resources on compassion fatigue, pet caregiving, and pet loss:

—Compassion fatigue resources from ASPCApro

—Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOl) — a free self-assessment tool for compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress

—Pet caregiver burden resources from Insight Animal Behavior Services

—Cornell Pet Loss Support Hotline

New to Proxy?

— Try Bisexual Wife Guy — one of the clearest examples of what this show does

— Or Brian Can't Stop Fact-Checking His Mother-In-Law — when love, duty, and resentment get tangled up

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